PHITSANULOK: A 17-year-old orphan has accused a 50-year-old man of sexually abusing him for four years after offering support for his schooling.
The student, who studied at a school in Phitsanulok, was on Thursday taken by lawyer Sorasak Muthawan to lodge a complaint with the provincial Dhamrongtham centre.
The teenager, whose name was withheld, alleged he had been raped repeatedly by a man identified only as "Mr Mac" since he was 13 years old, the lawyer said.
The man had persuaded the student to live with him and promised to support his education. However, the boy ended up being abused by the man after moving in with him.
Mr Sorasak, who owns a rice porridge shop, said the youth had moved out of the man’s house and started work at a sticky rice shop hear his shop. He had learned of the sexual abuse after overhearing a friend of the boy teasing him, saying, “You just have anal pain. Why don’t you stand?’’
After the friend left, the lawyer said, he had asked the teen what happened to him. He subsequently learned the boy used to live with Mr Mac, and had moved out as he could no longer tolerate the repeated sexual abuse.
Mr Sorasak first took the student to file a complaint with Muang police in Phitsanulok, and later to the Dhamrongtham centre.
The 17-year-old said he had lived with a relative after the death of his father. His mother had worked in another province. He was addicted to online games when he was 13 years old and often went to a game shop. That was where he was approached by Mr Mac, who was a regular visitor there.
The youth told police the man had also sexually molested three other boys from other districts.
Pol Capt Amnart Onpan, deputy investigation chief of Muang police, said the accused man had been summonsed for questioning and later charged with sexually molesting a child under the age of 15.
The victim was sent for a medical checkup at a hospital. Investigators were awaiting the results, Pol Capt Amnart said.